The present invention relates to portable scaffolding supported solely by a building structure.
It is well known to use building mounted scaffolding structures to support workmen along the side of a building structure. There is special need for such apparatus, along the areas of residential building structures adjacent the cornice. Without scaffolding, the builder must work dangerously close to a roof edge or make use of ladder or ladder type scaffolding to acquire access to the bottom cornice areas.
Various forms of portable scaffolding have been devised for the purpose of providing access by workers to the cornice area of building structures. Prior scaffolding is typically bulky and therefore very difficult to transport and store. Furthermore, the typical scaffolding frame is a very complex geometric assembly, often taking hours for construction assembly and dismantling that could otherwise be spent in actual building or repair processes.
Complex scaffolding structures are necessarily expensive due to materials and labor involved with the many different components. Further, such complexity leads to human error, and error involved in assembling of such scaffolding can often lead to serious accidents resulting in personal injury.
It therefore becomes desirable to obtain a simplified form of scaffolding frame member that can be easily mounted and removed from a building structure, that folds to a compact storage and transport condition, and that is safe and inexpensive for use by the average builder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,916 to Strobel discloses a scaffolding structure made up of four basic components. The upper, roof-supported component extends downwardly over the fascia where it connects to an upright adjustable column. The column extends downwardly to support the outer end of a horizontal platform support member. A brace extends downwardly from the platform support member to engage the ground surface or be braced against the structure wall. Various adjustments are provided along the length of several of the members.
German Patent No. 1,670,012 to Hartel et al discloses a scaffolding arrangement supported on a building structure adjacent the cornice area. Hartel, like Strobel, utilizes several brace arrangements for supporting the scaffolding frame members on the roof line and along the structure wall. Various adjustments may be made for accommodating roof pitch and overhang.
The present scaffolding member represents an improvement over the prior art by providing a stable, easily mounted scaffolding member that can be folded into an extremely compact storage and transport condition. Furthermore, the present scaffolding member includes a novel tensioning mechanism by which the entire frame structure can be made rigid to the attached building structure, improving safety of the workers it supports.